history
The breed originated in Newfoundland, where fishermen kept two types of dogs. A heavy type with a longer coat - this was used to pull sleds, etc. - and a smaller, lighter type with a short coat, commonly called a water dog. So this Newfoundland Water Dog is the origin of today's Labrador.
These dogs were characterized by enormous joy in water, speed, endurance and an excellent nose.
For these reasons, they were used for all kinds of tasks, such as hauling in fishing nets, retrieving fallen fish and also for hunting (Photo: Kaltenböck). The English first brought such dogs into their homeland around 1814, they called them St. John's Dogs. These dogs were then mainly used for hunting and gradually a breed developed. Although these dogs were called differently over and over again, the name Labrador appeared as early as 1873. The full history of this breed was excellently researched and presented by Richard A. Walters in The Labrador Retriever, His Story ... His People ... (Kynos Verlag).